


lifeline ; keith kogane (lowercase intended)

by harukaloveswater



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-01-20 02:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12423174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harukaloveswater/pseuds/harukaloveswater
Summary: just hold on and never let go.





	1. chapter one: the birth of disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this book is also posted on my wattpad!

summer break had reached an end, but the everlasting humidity carried on, leaching onto every second of the day. keith kogane tried to shake it off by drowning himself in the neighborhood pool, which was quite impressive considering the well known fact that he despised the water with his every being. the heat haunted keith in his sleep, sweat clung to his pale skin while the hot air became somewhat like a vampire to his usually cold sheets - sucking every last ounce of chill from the fabric. 

school however, horrified him. not because of the learning, keith enjoyed gathering parts of the information teachers taught him that weren’t useless like the other portion of it. it was a subject that was too close for comfort for over half of the population of people that attended school: his peers. keith kogane was an outsider to say the least. society, much like his classmates, took a great dislike towards anyone not like the rest. 

keith had to decide between two horrendous options: staying alone in the heat or going to school. 

much to the teenager’s dismay, he was forced to choose the latter option, as it was a state requirement. sometimes he cursed texas at having such a rule, but he did realize and learn to accept it’s importance. 

a jarring screech erupted keith out of his thoughts; his feet stumbling a bit on the pavement out of startlement. he gazed up to see the vibrantly colored school bus had arrived at it’s last stop. the other two kids were walking up the small set of steps and making their way to their seats. keith did the same, sharing a short and almost unnoticeable nod with the driver. 

keith’s seat on the bus really just depended on where the first open bench was. he didn’t want to share it with someone. nor did he want to face any embarrassment that might come his way by doing so. 

keith let out a gulp of air that he had been holding since he got on the bus as he plopped himself onto the worn seat. he could already make out the whispers leaving the lips from students around him.  
“seriously?” he thought, they hadn’t even made it to school yet. 

“did you here? it’s not a tropical storm anymore, the news this morning said it’s now a hurricane!” a girl behind keith exclaimed, shock leaking out of her voice. 

“really?” a gasp fled from the other, “i hope they cancel school!” 

keith held in a snort, like they would actually do such a thing. in all keith’s life school had only been cancelled twice, once because two snowflakes had hit the ground and the city had bursted into mass chaos - people thought it was the end of the world. the second was because it had flooded quite badly in the area, but it was only for a day or two. this hurricane would be nothing. 

______

two days later, keith heard more news of the hurricane on the bus. it had become a greatly talked about topic. word of it spread amongst the students and staff quicker than a bullet train, reminisce of the subject scattered about the school after hours. 

“it changed from a category three to a four overnight! can you believe it! school’s totally going to be cancelled - want to come over if it is?” at that moment it seemed like the teenager’s only concerns were about what to do with all this free time the school would be offering them. 

keith was never asked to come over. 

but that was the least of his worries. 

____________

keith’s house shook with fear; his brother clapped with utter delight. 

the kogane household was many things: rickety, odd, empty but somehow clustered at the same time. it was home to three men, of those were keith, his little brother maxwell, and their aging grandfather. he was climbing the last few steps belonging to his lifespan - keith lied to himself, saying that he wouldn’t drown in the wrinkles and forgetfulness that were side effects of life. 

maxwell was a joyous being at the ripe age of five. though he wasn’t biologically related to keith, they treated each other like their bloodlines had intertwined for years. the young boy laughed at anything and everything, he could possibly spend his life with a smile adorning his lips and a high pitched laugh pounding in his stomach. 

sadly keith was afraid he’d never be able to witness his brother grow and his grandfather live on forever. 

he’d never been a fearful human, keith was reckless, his grandmother used to say his parent’s should’ve named him danger. but at that moment keith kogane was frightened, from the peak of his raven hair to the soles of his feet. 

“max, get over here!” 

the brunette raced happily to his eldest brother, eyes bright. childish antics and young cluelessness taking the place of fright. keith wrapped his arms around max, picking him up and placing him on the couch. “don’t move. i’m getting grandpa.” 

he nodded. 

the noise of keith’s sock covered feet slapping against the wooden floor and the forceful rain that pierced the household filled the walls. he swung open the door to his grandfather’s bedroom, where he was sitting peacefully, reading. his thin lips forming small words as he mumbled along the sentences, his glasses hung low on his nose. 

“grandpa! come on, the house feels like it’ll collapse. we need to stick together.” keith demanded, thick brows crossed. 

the elderly man smiled, “gosh keith, becoming so bossy, aren’t you?”

keith rolled his eyes, an unnoticeable smirk appeared for a moment and left in the blink of an eye. his grandfather slowly lifted himself from the bed, book in his grasp. keith guided him to the living room. max played pretend with a few action figures on the coffee table. 

their grandfather grimaced a bit as he sat down on the sofa; keith internally winced. 

“so how’s your first hurricane, max?” he asked, gazing down at the boy. nothing could shatter the bond the kogane’s shared. 

“eh, i thought it would be more exciting.” 

the lights flickered to nothing. darkness seized the family. 

“i’ll get the flashlights.” keith announced, immediately after the power ceased. 

he scrambled around the living room, finding his way to the kitchen counter clumsily. nimble fingers grazed what seemed to be three flashlights, keith found the button to one and pressed it. light swarmed around him. 

now that it was dark, keith’s senses were more alert and the howling of the wind outside became more hoarse. it sounded like a dragon was attacking the neighborhood but as it roared and growled, the noise grew to be throaty. keith could feel the pain inside the dragon’s throat. 

an alert blared through keith’s cellphone, “flash flood warning in this area.” hours before, keith had gotten one stating the same message except it was for a tornado. he’d never thought it would be bad. maybe after this all cleared up, it wouldn’t be as horrible as he thought. 

but the thought still didn’t ease the anxiety that sloshed around in his stomach. he wanted to topple over onto the wood floor. he wanted to drag his brother and grandfather into another town; another state; another country. far away from the mess. 

oh, he hoped this wouldn’t last long.


	2. chapter two: the flood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoop whoop hope you guys enjoy!

a day passed and the floods came. currents of water sweeping down keith’s street. inching over the sidewalk over the watch of the never ending rain. keith had maxwell in his arms, the small boy doubling over in laughter. he was so oblvious to the nearing aftermath. the two stood by their grandfather’s office window while he took a nap in his bedroom. keith shifted his footing so maxwell could see better, though it was still hard due to the rain slapping the glass so quickly that it shielding the two from viewing their river of a street.

the rain started to cease slowly in the afternoon, just a few little droplets dripping from the dark clouds above. keith sat on his bed, laptop on his lap. he’d been thinking about finally finishing the science lab report he was supposed to finish the night before school had cancelled. but nothing came to mind, he had half of it done, so why couldn’t he conjure up the rest? maybe it was the fact that the hurricane reigned over most of his head, or it was the small fact that the other teenagers that resided on the same street were taking this disaster a little differently. 

of course, what more could you expect from a few wild teenage boys? 

daniel, who lived a few houses down and was a year older than keith, had taken a golf cart from his garage and drove it out onto the street. how he had managed to drive it through the water would remain a mystery to all but him. he sat there for a few minutes, fingers drumming along to the beat of nothingness on the side of the cart. 

it wasn’t until two boys in swim trunks walked down the street dragging a surfboard with some rope atop of it that daniel’s face erupted in wild delight. 

keith knew these people meant nothing but trouble. they were a group of teenage rebellion and sickening grins, a gang of bad report cards and no future, they didn’t care about the future. they didn’t care about anything for that matter. he knew all of these and yet he watched. in a way, keith was like them. just more reserved. 

he watched as they tied the rope to the back of the golf cart, backs facing him and keith couldn’t help but feel a little self conscious at the detail that he wasn’t as muscled and toned as them. he’d always been scrawny and pale. 

he watched as they hooked the rope - somehow - onto the front of the surfboard. maybe they’d made a hole in it previously, he would never know for sure. 

he watched as one with ginger hair hopped onto the board, and the other two whistled as they started the golf cart. 

he watched as the ginger fell off with a large laugh. it was large; not a small, quiet one that only the three could hear, it was large and he opened his mouth so big his lips might of bursted. keith bet the whole neighborhood could hear this one laugh. 

keith actually enjoyed gazing at the three fail and succeed at the odd way of having fun. they never went more than a few feet; they’d always back up where they first started. it was possible they’re mother told them not to run off to other roads, or possibly they were scared to see what other streets held, or they could’ve just not felt like going anywhere. they could stay on that road for the rest of their lives and not feel like anything else was in store for them. 

the thin boy didn’t know what to think of that. 

__________

there was one known thing that maxwell kogane was afraid of. it was the minor fear of being left alone. keith and their grandfather didn’t think it was so minor. that’s why maxwell slept with keith in his twin bed. he knew keith would always carry him back to his own bed in the next room whenever he was sure that he wouldn’t wake up, and he would always stay asleep. he was just glad keith let him. 

that night keith didn’t carry him back. 

the two just stared at the ceiling, the room being lulled to sleep by the pitter patter of the rain. it was only the room though. the two only shut their eyes to blink. 

“keith?” 

he didn’t respond, but maxwell knew he was listening. 

“does everything just-” he paused, for an eight year old he was intelligent, keith guessed it was because of the orphanage, “die.” 

silence. it was a deep one that put pressure on your chest, like it was forcing you to choke out the truth for the whole world to hear. the whole world was listening. 

“i guess.” a small sigh escaped his lips, but the force that the quiet but on him was still there. 

“how come?” 

keith wished this conversation wouldn’t continue. he didn’t believe they would ever converse like this. maxwell was eight. he was eight freaking years old. keith was almost sixteen. maxwell was half his age yet his answers for all of earth’s problems doubled in reasonability. 

maxwell always got serious during the night. the sun always brought out the joy in people, the moon seemed to close that in and release the midnight thoughts. keith supposed everyone, no matter what age or level of intelligence had some form of midnight thoughts. 

“i don’t know. guess it’s just the way of life.” 

“does that mean grandfather’s going to die? like grandmother?” 

keith cursed, he cursed and he cursed and he cursed. no! he wanted to scream into the darkness, he wasn’t going to die! no! no! no! grandmother was still alive, she was sitting in the living room with a smile gracing her beautiful, wrinkled features, watching some house hunting show while petting her aging cat! she was there! 

“you don’t have to respond, keith.” 

he never did. they just laid their, put under the pressure of the silence until they fell asleep. 

when keith awoke, he could see the tear stains on the sheets. they matched the flood outside.   
________

maybe the way of life hated texas, because when their grandfather turned on the news, keith could taste the horror and panic. 

people stranded; water reaching the tops of cars; there was no way out. no escaping. no escaping. no escaping. keith needed an escape route. everyone needed an escape route, more than keith. tears wet the reporter’s camera, or perhaps that was the rain. it was a natural disaster. did he jinx it? with his simple thought the other day, “it would be nothing.” it was everything. 

keith wished to be those boys in their golf cart and forgetful, laughter full, life.


	3. chapter three: good vs evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> short chapter, i know. but the story is actually starting now!!

there was no sun. it was as though the sun had caved into the pressure of the rain; either withering behind the clouds or fleeing from its solar system entirely. keith was uncertain on that part. but he was certain that maxwell was a brighter child than he had come to believe. between short sessions of pretend with his action figures, maxwell drifted off into thought. keith didn’t like it when he did so. maxwell shouldn’t know or even think of such ideas at a young age. he should be basking in his obliviousness to the cruel world, not dwelling into the vast ocean of why. 

“hey, keith?” maxwell interrupted his train of thought, calling him over from the breakfast room table. 

“yeah?” he slid around the abrupt corner of the kitchen island, a small plate of apple slices in his left hand. the peels cut clean from each piece, fit to his younger brother’s liking. 

the rain had stopped for the time being, it started to come in small intervals after the second day. but the sun still hadn’t gained the courage to reveal it’s beauty to the world. even though the teenager had never took a liking to the heat and particularly outdoors in general, he still missed the bright star highlighting the blue sky. it started to seem like the residents would never be able to feel the sweet sunshine against their skin, the warmth filling every inch of themselves. 

“can you play with me?” 

max let go of one of the action figures; it fell onto the table. 

“sure.” keith shrugged, there wasn’t anything else to do in the quiet house. 

“i’ll be the good guy, you get to be the bad guy, ‘kay?” max loved the “good vs evil” cliche, and in that moment, it could’ve been used as a coping mechanism. the good will always win. the evil will eventually fall, their plan will be foiled somehow. the good will always win. 

the ravenette made a small hum in his throat, signaling that he was alright with who was who. 

the two sat at the table, disregarding the apple slices keith had placed to the side. it seemed like the game of pretend had stretched out over a span of hours, when really, it was only fifteen minutes. but that was only due to their grandfather’s protest of them prioritizing the action figures over their snack and health. 

“so,” max started, the short word being slightly muffled by the apple slice in his mouth, “when do you think school will start back up? i really wanna see my friends.” 

keith didn’t know how to answer, based on the news, many presumed that most school’s wouldn’t open for weeks. but then again, most in the area hadn’t left the safety of their home. well, if their home was considered safe to keep residing in. 

“i don’t know, it’s tuesday so probably in a week.” 

“oh,” disappointment ran throughout max’s face. like most parents when they realized their child wouldn’t be heading back as soon as they predicted. max should’ve been happy about not having school, every other child was. max deserved to be happy about that. 

the silence that swarmed the inside of the house had slipped into a coma. gone. their grandfather had turned on the television, the news channels conquering the cartoons, documentaries, and sports. the water seemed to be the only thing for miles on end, the residents could barely see some of the buildings. 

but there was hope, because throughout the newscast of terror, they televised rescues. smiles overthrowing the sadness and pain of losing everything except for the clothes sticking to their wet skin. they knew deep inside that good always won, there was no doubt about that. the evil inside that water would fade into nothingness, cowering from the grins and joy emitting from the rescuees’ hearts. 

“see, look boys, everything’s going to be fine.” grandfather’s smile wasn’t as genuine and happy as the one’s on the broadcast, though it brought warmth to the young koganes’ lips. 

the sun would gain the confidence to show itself, basking the world in its glory. it would be the light bulb that lit the ideas in everyone’s brains. it would be the sign that happiness was in the near future. it would be the knowing gaze that told one to stay calm, for all was a dream and they were in a deep sleep. it would be there when they awoke in their own warm beds. 

the sun would rise in the morning and set in the evening. all would be able to view the shimmering stars and large moon, glittering above the earth, watching each and every living being to stay sure that all was fine. then the sun would come up; then the stars; then the sun; then the stars. it was on an automated repeat. it had stayed that way and would continue for all time. 

no one would ever change that for the world. not even the most evil of the lot.   
__________

it was friday. another week had passed. the sun had came out. a few school districts had been open for three days. good had won. 

then they found something in the water.


	4. chapter four: drunken memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning: mentions of underage drinking.

he was a boy of many things. 

teenage rebellion ran through his veins but his brain often pulled the poison right out of them. somehow it always came back for revenge. white collared parents and private school studies. that is what he was built for; the working life, the life complete with fancy dinner parties and congratulations. the dna he was coded with wasn’t meant for bruises along his pristine skin and laughs coated with beer. 

augustus benedict was a boy of many attributes. not a man yet - still a boy. still a boy. in his mind, he would always be a boy. in his parent’s mind, he would always be a son. in his parent’s rival companies minds’, he would always be a man, a successor. he would rule and he would do it with greatness, following the script that had been laid out for him before he had even a glimpse of the world. 

“honey get the phone, they’ve lost power at the office.” his mother rang out to his father - who reached for the house phone. she resumed her conversation with an employee. 

“i’ll just, go.” the boy dusted his pants off with his hands, walking upstairs to his room unnoticed. 

veiny hands pressed against the white door, opening and closing it with a soft thud, drowning out the sounds of his parents and their phones. there was silence and peace in his room. he didn’t like it. 

augustus sighed. 

walking over to his quite large bed, he slammed his body lazily onto the mattress. he’d done his homework ages ago; nothing less from the model student. now he wished there was more, after all there was no current starting date for school. 

his family hadn’t been affected by the hurricane nor the flood, only their abundant of office buildings. but it wasn’t detrimental, the rest of the city was worse. sadly his parents hadn’t realized that and neither had augustus. 

his phone rang. one that he had set specifically for one person, it screamed aloud in pure anger. 

he slide his finger against the screen, pulling it towards his ear. 

“hey,”

augustus could hear the smirk falling upon the caller’s lips. it was silent in the background, but not for long.

“what’s with the tone? not happy to hear me?” a fake whine emitted from the male, almost mockingly. 

augustus let out a short laugh, ringing out into the dead air of his bedroom. “maybe. whatsup?” 

“please. meet me outside your place in ten?” 

his foot drummed on his floorboard, dark wood under his socked feet. “sure.” rebellion brewed in his stomach. the caller ended the call, augustus let his phone drop to his sheets, getting lost in the mass of blankets. 

it wouldn’t take much to sneak past his parents, knowing their cellphones filled with urgent business would occupy them for hours. augustus changed into clothes more suitable for the event, a black tee clad with expensive jeans, beanie sitting upon his messy hair that was in dire need of brushing. he hadn’t done much to it because there was no point. 

_____

a vibrant red, obnoxious convertible with the hood down pulled up at augustus’ doorstep, a teenager hung out the passenger side door. dexton rogers was a large boy with a large house with a small car and a small attention span. he was a simple being who only cared about keeping the alcohol hidden in the trunk and then drinking the alcohol at parties. there wasn’t much to him. just another teenager disaster. a boy postponing adulthood. 

“get in, loser we’re going shopping” dexton gestured a pointed thumb behind him, dull eyes meeting dull augustus. 

“was that a mean girls reference?” the brunette questioned, lips twitching into a snarky smile. 

“just get in.” 

they weren’t going shopping. 

_________

augustus didn’t feel himself until downing two bottles of alcohol. the adrenaline in his veins was on fire; teenage rebellion heightened. the sense in his brain was corrupted, nothing was left of the augustus benedict many had known and many had admired. he was the boy on the streets who you stay away from, that one teenager at a party in the movies with an ugly laugh and a thirst for destruction. 

his vision was blurry, a projection of moving bodies and blinding lights. nothing was real. nothing was real. nothing was real. it was all one big dream with the boy named after a roman emperor, whose great uncle was julius caesar, whose son was tiberius, whose great-great grandfather was nero and great grandson was caligula jumping on the tips of his toes along with forty other teenagers with the same liquid in their throats and stomachs and on whoevers floor. 

“hey! augustus! haven’t seen you in awhile!” a ghostgirl yelled amongst the crowd. her dark hair lying flat against her pale head with sweat. there wasn’t an ounce of alcohol in her words. 

“oh! ghostgirl!” augustus laughed that wretched laugh of his - sharp, slurred, bubbling with the substance the girl had not drank. the drunken boy had never cared to learn her name, so she was, as she was to many, ghostgirl.

bianca cheng was the one person at the parties augustus had attended who had not followed the crowd. she watched over fellow peers with a careful gaze, always there but then again, she wasn’t. she was like the air. she was ghostgirl and that was possibly all she’d ever be in the teenage world. ghostgirl in a world full of alivegirls. 

for a miniscule second, it looked as though ghostgirl had dissolved into the sticky air. but after another blink she was once again there; the only spark of sanity in the wrecked household. she gazed into augustus’ eyes, “i got to go. but it was nice seeing you once more!” 

“hope we meet again!” augustus grinned, waving an arm in the air as he watched her retreating figure. he grabbed another cup of whatever liquid, not like he cared. 

ghostgirl disappeared. 

___________

he was a boy of many things. but he was not prepared for the disaster that whirled his way. 

literally.


	5. chapter five: of the dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fiuhjdnfo it hurt me to write this.

keith kogane was a wildfire. rage had consumed him and lit a match inside his heart; one glistening with vengeance. the humid, midnight air was stiff on his skin, latching onto every bit of him and his clothes, making it harder and harder to walk. keith grimaced, the throbbing in his toe was unbearable. 

it had been a week since scientists had discovered the chemical. a week since he last saw the faces of his loved ones. 

______________

 

nothing could upset a child more than the partment of a family member. keith and maxwell kogane could quite possibly remember that feeling for the rest of their lives. the last spark of hope in their grandfather’s eyes had not gone out while he pulled away feverishly from the two boys, both of which had realized the symptoms of the water effect too early for comfort. keith had notified the medics and in less than an hour their grandfather was taken out of their lives. 

the thought of never seeing the man who took such great care of them for most of their lives was sickening. 

although keith never wanted to think of that possibility, it haunted him every second. 

the next to go was maxwell. 

the two brothers had been put in some sort of makeshift homeless shelter for the people who had lost homes do to the flood. it now became a bonus area for the family of the infected. the food was scarce there, many greedy with their share. but who could blame them? and the enormity of people there was horrifying. 

that many people had either lost a home or known someone who had been infected. that many people. 

one day the medics went in the shelter for testing and keith watched closely at their needles and equipment. hunger roared in his stomach looking at their fully fed bodies. the feeling of abandonment came hurdling at him when he realized that these people, the higher class, probably had a whole family at home. keith couldn’t help but feel angry and envious of the people.

when they approached him and maxwell, keith was as fully confident as their full bellies. the needle grazed his skin and with a small prick the blood had been drawn from him. the man who was working with the boys smiled a fake and innocent smile. unaware of the horror many in the room had faced. he proceeded to plug the blood into a small machine that read “negative”. he was clean. 

then it was max. 

oh max, max, max. not max, please not max, not max, not max. not -

“positive.”

keith jumped to his feet, his once sizzling anger bubbled up to a fire. “no! retest him! that’s not true!” 

max’s chest rose and fell at a rapid speed. he huffed and he puffed in a manner that screamed fear. his eyes pooling around that fear and emitted it by tearing up. it was okay. it wasn’t okay. it was okay. it wasn’t okay. 

“it- it’s fine keith!” max’s voice crack overthrew his supposedly comforting words. 

“sir, i have to take him with me.” 

“you can’t! you can’t!” with a shaky arm he grabbed max’s upper arm, desperation in every movement and muscle, every syllable and twitch of the eye. 

“sir, please stay calm.” 

“no, please, he’s the only family i have left!” 

“sir, if you don’t calm down-” 

“keith, i’m okay.” 

maxwell kogane released the tight grip of his eldest brother, and without a last glance, he moved to stand with the medic. 

maxwell kogane - boy of the dead. dead. dead. 

____________

 

the tornado that struck the already shaken house that augustus benedict was fooling around in was a shock to everyone but mother nature. 

the teenager had been in the bathroom at the time, puke swirling in the toilet as the tornado unleashed its force upon the partiers. augustus had glanced up, eyes glazed over and a grim expression pulled over his lips. he was sober enough to realize what was going on. 

the morning after, augustus opened the restroom door and was met with the aftermath. 

teenagers of the dead, of crumbling bodies and spilled alcohol. the remains of people he only knew in his drunken times. oh, teenagers of the dead, how you lay flat against the rumble. 

oh, how he wondered what would’ve become of him if he hadn’t been in a safe haven. 

_____________

too late, too late, too late. 

that’s all that ran through keith’s mind as he trudged through the late night houston roads. he’d decided the day of max’s leave that he would no longer reside in the shelter, too many people, too many sick, too many dead. he was too late. 

he was too late. 

“ugh!” keith screamed into the dead streets. no one was out; no one dared to go out. his frustration bounced off buildings and plunged into the ankle deep murk that lurked in every corner. his boots were trash, created from the oldest of black leather and worn down from the many school days it had faced. luckily for him the streets surrounding the shelter hadn’t been as badly affected as others. 

he was cold. though the humidity had not left and would not dare to for a long time, his bones were frostbitten and his chapped lips shivered in the night. it was late. too late. the midnight moon hung sorrowfully in the cloudless sky, pouring its sad light upon the houses and the dead. 

too late. too late. 

he had no one left. in one quick swoop he was alone. one minute he had everything and the next it was gone. maybe if they were strong- 

no. 

he was too late. too late.

a heavy sadness held his heart close to his chest. never would he be as close to another than he would be to max and his grandfather. never. 

keith kogane would hold that grief to his heart for forever and he’d never let it go. 

too late. too late.


	6. boys boys boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i published this story on my wattpad about a year ago, and this chapter and the next are taken from the same time. but then after that, the rest of the chapters are new and updated.

SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE FLOOD. 

augustus benedict sat. pencil tapping against the wooden table as he stared at the teacher; mouth forming words that he calculated in his mind. oh! people exclaimed, what a brilliant boy! he sat. bored out of his mind. he wasn’t bright, it was only coded already in him in his genes. he was like every other stupid teenager. with stupid feeling and stupid thoughts and stupid impulses. he sat, pushing back a yawn into the depths of his throat. 

look engaged, be engaged. 

look at the model student, augustus, the perfectionist. 

a friend of his would snicker at that, “him? you sure?” 

they were the embodiment of rich rejects, those boys in books with too much money and not enough brains. they were boys, boys, boys. augustus was treated like a man, he was a business ceo. no boy. just a man stuck in a boy’s body. his friends were the exact opposite. sure, they were expected of many things, but they had no future, no exceptional deeds that they were constantly being criticized to do. they were just them. and that’s all anyone had ever thought them to be. 

the bell rang, school had come to an end. 

dexton sauntered up to augustus, clad in the pristine school uniform, his true character slowly starting to peak out underneath the collar. “what’da say we get something to eat with the others?” 

they weren’t always that bad. 

glancing up from his notes, augustus grinned and nodded his head. he stood up from his seat, quickly stuffing his notebook in his backpack and slinging it over one shoulder. 

the group consisted of the four of them: augustus, dexton, ben, and charles. ben, a boy built up from nothing more than the quaking realness of delinquency, somehow found the time to grow in expertise about the great expanse of history. charles didn’t quite fit in: a scholar of the kind who was intelligent in all things school related, except for the factor of socializing, he rolled along with the waves of the crowd and found himself dwelling with the others. dexton was just another stereotypical rich kid, basking in the glory of such wealth, spending too much time in the heavens and not enough time on earth. 

a silent walk was shared between the two as they approached the others at augustus’ locker - the king must be surrounded by his subjects. a sleazy grin was plastered on ben’s face, but nothing about their near future plans were anything alike to his expression. it was just how he smiled. 

model! model!

“hey, we’re going to that coffee shop down a few blocks. you coming?” augustus placed a few unneeded books in his locker, slamming it shut right afterward. 

“yeah man.” 

and that was that. 

________

 

augustus laughed the loud laugh of his; dexton slipped out of his seat. augustus slid in his chair; ben gulped down some coffee. augustus glanced at a boy in the back; he stared back. 

pale skin was wrapped in a black hoodie that certainly wasn’t comfortable in the houston weather. a mess of black hair styled into a mullet took over his head. deep eyes complimented his appearance. who knew such darkness could hold all of the ancient ruins in the world? the reflection of undesired sleep shone under those eyes, holding all of the buried treasure. a perky nose rested in between the eyes, not too small nor large, fitting in with his facial features with utter perfection. thin lips painted chalky pink with the dryness of one’s belonging to a child. 

he was beautiful. 

within another moment the mystery boy’s gaze had reverted back to his laptop. 

and that was that.


	7. encounters with the undead

to be connected to another is not as simple as one may believe. just the utter thought of a thread tying between two people completely horrified keith kogane. commitment to anything, whether it be the elementary task of holding a conversation or a platonic relationship, struck fear inside his heart. 

the flood had long gone, and the virus was still spreading. such disease encasing the lives of so many; an unforgiving sickness much like the bubonic plague, much like keith’s fear of attachment. 

he spent the few days after his flee from the shelter in a desolate tunnel, most likely once home to the homeless before the water had overthrown the city. those homeless were either dead or almost dead. now keith was among them. 

at that moment, the silence of houston had lulled him into a short sleep, head bent at an uncomfortable angle to rest against the concrete wall and back arched awkwardly to pull him from the instinct to not ruin his spine. for an hour he slept, peaceful for the first time in what seemed like forever. heart beat at a steady pace, the erratic one it once thumped had disappeared from existence. 

then he heard a noise. 

a light sleeper from birth, keith was always able to awake when even the most silent noises drafted about. it was both a blessing and a curse to have such a horrendous sleep every night. 

if he had not been like so, keith would have been dead. 

a gruesome sight was what he saw when he groaned and stretched, sleep aching to stay with him for just seconds longer. his eyes, now blinking to adjust to the sudden rush of light, widened when he saw what was creeping towards him. 

a bloodlust loomed in the creature’s eyes, bright against the crevices of it’s deep sockets, appearing as though it’s eyes were peeking out of a black hole, reaching to escape but aware of the inevitable fate it faced since it was already dead. caked and battered dried blood and peeling skin was it’s frame. it’s overall appearance resembled a human, but with horrifying features. it’s hair was long and matted, the greasiness of it was visible from twenty feet away. the stench it carried with was absolutely wretched, among the worst keith had ever dared to smell. but above all, the most fearful attribute about the odd creature was the bones that bulged out of it’s skin. ribs jutting out from under the torn t-shirt it wore. elbows a godawful sight. cheekbones forming a wall between it’s eyes and it’s prey. 

keith was frantic, a mess of grogginess and fear. his heart lurched as his eyes desperately searched for a weapon in a frenzied manner. much to his luck, a pipe rested only feet away from where he stood. in a sudden leap he dove for the long strip of metal - hand clasping the pipe. whatever this thing was, it would sure not take his life today. it groaned and moaned and slurred incoherent sounds, quickly moving towards keith, who jumped to his feat. the teenager swung the pipe, aiming for the head. a loud bang and a gush erupted at the contact; the head squashed inwards, but the entire being not dead. 

keith jabbed its midsection, where the heart would be in a human. guts splattered as the pipe was shoved in the body. a screech blared out of its mouth, a painful sound complete with nasty cracks. keith could feel it vibrating in the air. his body shook. 

he didn’t want to stay and see what came next. so he ran. 

keith rain faster than he ever did before, and something told him he would have to run a lot more in the near future. 

_________

 

keith’s black high-tops were unmoving in the knee deep water, an expression of confusion and puzzlement clear across the boy’s face. dried blood was splattered amongst his fingers as they griped the pipe - a result of many deaths of the monsters that he faced throughout the past two days. 

two days since the first encounter; a week since he last saw maxwell; two weeks since he last saw his grandfather. 

but it wasn’t a creature or missed relative, it was a teenage boy. keith had forgotten there was other people his age out there. 

a real life person! woah! 

sometimes keith didn’t even believe he was real, breathing, alive. 

the boy faced him, eyes fearful and wide. 

keith’s breath hitched in his throat, undeniable beauty and wealth met his own dull self and he felt as though his entire soul would burst. 

“you’re not a zombie are you?” the stranger yelled, hand covering the side of his mouth to project his voice across the street. his clothes (a grey v-neck, army jacket, and dark skinny jeans) tattered a bit and soaked to the bone. 

keith could only stare. 

“hey! can you hear? water in your ears or something?” although the situation was devastating, his lips showed fondness and silliness, like everything was just a joke to him. maybe it was.

“what do you want?” keith’s voice was hoarse, the sound painful to hear. like he had just spoken for the first time since he was born, his throat went dry days before and as the words inched up he could feel them scratch and tear at it. 

“ah, so you’re not.” 

“well of course.” 

the boy approached him, the water rippling around his knees. 

“i’m augustus and i would love to chat some more, but i need you to go inside that building for me.”


End file.
